HOUGHTON, Mich. -- The Wayne State University men's basketball program (4-4 overall, 1-3 GLIAC) fell at Michigan Tech (9-3 overall, 3-1 GLIAC) 80-68 on Thursday night to begin the new year.

HOW IT HAPPENED
A three-pointer from senior guard Brailen Neely (Detroit, Mich. / Western International) put the Warriors on top 5-3 at the 17:34 mark of the opening half.  The Huskies used 10 straight points from Kyle Monroe to take an 13-5 advantage with 13:44 remaining before halftime.  Senior guard Karim Murray (Detroit, Mich. / Western International) slowed MTU's momentum with a jumper and freshman forward Nate Talbot (Lake Orion, Mich.) trimmed the home lead to 16-11 with a layup at the 11:08 mark.  A 7-0 run by WSU brought the Warriors within five, 23-18, with 7:37 to play.  Graduate student James Gordon IV (Shelbyville, Ky. / Chicago Simeon) knocked down a triple during the rally, while Murray accounted for the other four points.  A Talbot tip-in at the 3:40 mark brought the visitors as close as they had been since the start of the game, 29-26.  Back-to-back jumpers by Murray cut the deficit to 35-31 with 25 seconds left before the break.  Michigan Tech led 37-31 at halftime.

The Huskies extended their lead to 48-35 on a three-pointer from Tommy Lucca at the 16:16 mark of the second half.  After the margin grew to 13, the Green & Gold went on a 7-0 run to pull within six, 54-48, with 12:49 left to play.  Sophomore guard Antonio Marshall (Detroit, Mich. / Martin Luther King) capped the rally with a long-range jumper.  Murray knocked down a 12-foot jump shot to keep WSU close, 58-50, just under the 10-minute mark.  Another basket from Murray made it 65-58 in favor of MTU with 6:24 remaining.  However, the Huskies responded with seven quick points to lead by 14 points.  A pair of free throws from Neely cut the WSU deficit to nine, 72-63, at the 2:27 mark.  Michigan Tech would go on to win 80-68.

LEADING THE WARRIORS
Murray tallied a team-best 23 points to go with eight rebounds, while Neely connect of four triples on his way to posting 21 points.  Gordon contributed 10 points and seven boards.  Talbot just missed his second double-double of the season with nine points and eight rebounds.

LEADING THE HUSKIES
Monroe notched a game-high 35 points along with 10 rebounds, while Dawson Bilski scored 15 points and Lucca finished with 11 points.

UP NEXT
The eight-game road trip will come to an end at Northern Michigan on Saturday afternoon with tip-off scheduled for 1:00 p.m.